Art of curing meat



UNITED s r rssPATENT OFFICE.

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A3!!! or cosine time 1,380,070. f p ta m n- Patented May 31,1921.

' Io Drawing. Original application filed January 31, 1921, Serial No. 441,503. Divided and this application filed February 21, 1921. Serial No. 446,763.

To all whom it may concern; described, is identifiable by the following Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. KURK, characteristics: a citizen of the United States, residing at 1. It is non-putrefactive.- 6100 Greenwood Ave., Chica o, in ethe 2. It is non-pathogenic. 6 county of Cook and State of I inois, have 3. It is nitrate-reducing. 55

invented a new and' useful Improvement in 4:. It is a micrococcus. the Art of Curing Meat, (Case B,) of which I have found that regular. and uniform the following is a specification. cures may be made by inoculating each The present invention relates to the art of fresh ickle or cure with a virile culture of it IOcuring or pickling meats, and will be fully this s ectedbacterium, whereby a dominant 60 understood from the description thereof growth of this bacteria is produced. Under hereinafter set forth. these circumstances the growth and virility In the curing or pickling of meats, inof other bacterial flora normally present nf cludin meats whichare subsequently cures or pickles isPentir-ely prevented or so?" smok it is customary to employ a curin greatly reduced that they are unable to sub- 66 or pickling compound containing salt an stantially aifect the character or uniformity amtrate, such as saltpeter, with or without of the cure. It is likewise found that, by added substances, such as sugar and spices. producing a dominant culture or growth of As hitherto carried out, the results of curthe selected bacteria in the curing meat an ing meat have been variable, irregular and improved color and flavor of the cured meat 70 uncontrollable. Thus if a number of subresults. The employment of the selected stantially identical pieces of meat, for exbacteria hence results in both an improveample, hams, are placed in separate vats ment in each individual pickle or cure as containing identical fresh curing or ickling well as substantial uniformity in all pickling solutionsfit will be found at the en of the or cures.

cure that the liquors in the several vats dif- The pickles or cures hereln referred to for markedly from each other, as shown by may be either those in which the meat is theit odor, taste and bacterial flora, and the immersed or soaked in a solution of the inmeats from the several vats differ from each gredients of the curing compound, those in other in shade and uniformity of color, which the curing oompoun is applied as a 80 flavor, etc. This variation in results is likesurface coating on the meat, for example, a wise true in dry salt cures and in cures, dry salt cure, or those in which these msuch as of sausage, in which the curing comgradients are thoroughly mixed with the pounds are incorporated or ground in with. meat itself. The first two procedures are the 'meat to be cured. those generally employed, for example, with 86 I have now discovered that the cure of hams and thelast' with saus e, etc. the meat may be made standard or substan- In inoculating the cure wit the selected tially uniform in all or any cures by probacteria I prefer to employ a virile culture ducing in each cure a dominant growth or thereof, which may be produced,,f;or exam- 40 culture of a single individual or type of Is, by making athree day growth of the '90 bacterium. This bacterium I have found to gacteria in bouillon, then transferring the be present in varying de recs of virility in bacteria to a steril; normal salt solution,

- all successful cures, its e ective action being which is applied in the cure in suitable prov hindered to a greater or less extent or oomportions. To illustrate the practice of my pletely destroyed and uniformity -of its ac invention, the following examples are given. 5

tion being prevented by the presence and l Ewample N0. 1.--1n making sausage the activity of other bacteria, of which I have components of the cure are mixed directly found 1'1 ward of 80 in ordinary pickles or with the meat, preferably during grinding.

cures. This selected type of bacterium, The curing constituents may be, for examwhich has not previously been isolated ,hcr ple, 5 lbs. salt, 2oz. saltpeter and 8 to 10 we r g-finger to 150 lbsf of meat. At the same a virile culture of theselected bacteria introduced, a three day culture in 250 cc. bouillon, transferred to a sterile normal salt solution, being added for each 150 lbs. 1 ,mest. The meat, pickle constituents and inoculating culture are thoroughl' intermixed, together with any desired avoring substances, the mixture 1s"s'tufl'ed into casings, is stored and permitted to cure. The inoculation-with the virile culture of the selected i bacteria produces a dominant growth thereof, which substantially prevents such growth of other pickle bacteria 'as will cause interference with the flavor, taste or uniformity of the cure. It likewise prevents or greatly retards the growth and action of putrefactive bacteria.

Example N0. fir-A pickle solution is made by dissolving in ,water 16 to 20% 01? salt, 0.2 to 0.6% salt-peter and 1 to 4% sugar. 'Other flavoring ingredients, condiments or spices may be added, if'desired. The solution is laced in vats or tierces, preferably thorou 1y cleaned, and the meat, for e1;- aznple ms, to be cured is immersed in the solution. Either before or immediately after the introduction of the meat the ickle or solution is inoculated by adding tiiereto 1i normal salt solution containing a. virile culture of the selected bacteria, for-example, 'thebacteria of a three day growth of the in 250 o ill n pi ment containing 1000 lbs. of meat to be cured. The ,growth'of the selected bacteria becomes the eminent bacterial growth therein and the growth of others is inhibited to such an extent that they produce no'substantial effect upon the cure. The time f cure may be from'50 to'60 days up, varying witnthe size of the hams being cured.

In cures such as the dry salt cure, in which the curing substances (salt and saltpeter) are made into a pasty mass with water and applied directly tothe meats to be cured, the inoculating growth of bacteria may. be added to the water used in making the aforesaid paste.

This application is a division of In prior application Serial No. 441,503 filed Jznuary 31,1921.

Although the present, invention has been described in' connection with the specific details of procedure for carryin it lnto efl'ect, it is not intended that these etails shall be regarded as limitations upon the sec of the invention, except in so far as inc uded 1n the accompanying claim,

I claim:

The process of meats whichi'ooma plying superficially chrin'g prises a niateria s containing nitrates and a virile culture of the non-putrefactiye, nonpathogenie. nitrate-reducing micrococcus' r resonates, w. KUBK 

